Women's Intuition
by Tomo Trillions
Summary: Cal finds Bikky on the street and decides to figure out exactly how the boy feels about Ryo and his loving Dee.


Title: Women's intuition  
Rating: PG  
Couplings: Bikky and Cal, light DeexRyo  
Notes: Oh my HOLY GOD! A Fake fic centering around a..het....coupling... *sweatdrops* ^-^ This is a Bikky-and-Cal fic...Really, I'd call it a Calfic though, because it sort of evolved into her point of view.  
  
Cal finds Bikky on the street and decides to figure out exactly how the boy feels about Ryo and his loving Dee.  
  
  
~~~  
  
  
The streets of New York steamed slightly with the sticky puddles of rain that had fallen the night before, and it hissed and curled uncomfortably around the figures that dared tread the sidewalks. Bikky's slouching form was not the only one on the streets, but it was undoubtedly the youngest there. Strands of blonde fell in his eyes as the boy kicked at a lone half-crushed beer can, skirting the fenced in basketball court he played so often on.  
  
Gritting his teeth, he gave the can an extra hard kick and sent it clattering down the wet street to be caught under a booted sole. "Bikky," the owner of the outstretched foot smirked, her hands loose in the pockets of her rain slicker despite the sticky, oppressive heat of the rising sun. "You walkin' today? In the doghouse?"  
  
"Ryo had a stakeout with that big lug until three last night, they woke me up with all their knocking about."  
  
"Dee's there?"  
  
Bikky's shoulders gave a little noncommital shrug, which Cal accurately read to mean 'Yeah and why the hell can't Ryo keep him outta our house, anyway?' With a grin, the brunette followed her friend along the trash-laden sidewalk behind rows and rows of dingy apartments. "Sulking, huh? Ryo'll worry about you."  
  
"I left a note," the punk muttered casually. "Didn't want him to get up early, anyway."  
  
Cal swept a lock of hair behind her eyes and kept up with the younger boy, eying him thoughtfully as they moved. There was something else besides the fact that Dee had managed to worm his way into their household for the night again, wasn't there? She smiled as he gritted his teeth and kicked at another piece of trash - he was easy to read when you knew what to look for, in fact, she was surprised Ryo didn't understand exactly how his charge felt about his would-be boyfriend. After all, *she* could certainly tell why the sparks flew between Dee and Bikky every time they were together...  
  
With a smug smile, she chalked it up to women's intuition and began to tease relentlessly.  
  
"You know, you left Dee and Ryo alone on their day off," she said, knowing all too well that after a stakeout the two wouldn't be called in for another day. Bikky complained about that as often as he could, saying Dee would do nothing but keep Ryo from his well-earned sleep - it made her laugh. "Was that such a good idea?"  
  
"Nn." Bikky dug his hands further into his pockets and his slouch became even lower, if such a thing was possible. His posture would have given any cultured person a sure-fire heart attack.  
  
"What, miss yer coffee this morning?"  
  
"..."  
  
Cal frowned slightly and scooted closer to her companion, a bit of genuine concern creeping into her voice as she pressed the root of the problem. Honestly, Bikky was almost as bad as Ryo when it came to denying emotions! "You can't kid me at all Bik-ky," she waved a finger tauntingly. "I know just as well as you do that Dee's good for Ryo. Real good."  
  
The response was instant. "Bullshit!" Bikky scowled darkly from beneath blonde bangs and play-punched Cal, eyes flashing. "That rotten no-good punk just eats our food and dirties the carpet and wrecks all the nice things in the apartment. Then Ryo breaks his back cleaning up after him and all Dee can do is jump him at every opportunity, the lousy leech."  
  
"You don't mean any of that," Cal told him gently, reaching out and catching his wrist in her hand. For a moment Bikky glared at her in surprise - then his fingers loosened and let her take his hand. They walked for a few moments in silence.  
  
Bikky had always been a street kid, for as long as Cal had known him. Even now that they both had a roof over their heads, it was hard to keep them in line - they knew that, and liked it. Bikky was struggling between two worlds, the freedom of the street and the security he found in Ryo's warm apartment... And, unlike Cal, he wasn't in control quite yet. She could pretend to be as cultured as she wanted and pull it off well, she knew *how* to be polite and simply chose not to. It was something inside of her that she could turn on and off as easy as a light switch -   
  
Bikky was, under his tough exterior and roving, snapping eyes, a little kid. Not that much younger than Cal, but he had yet to actually understand the reason he was so torn, by looking at little things instead - he could mutter about going to school and Ryo's overprotective ways, when the real conflict was within himself and had hardly anything to do with his guardian.  
  
"Yanno," she said conversationally a few minutes later, "Dee was a street kid."  
  
The response bristled. "So?"  
  
"So," Cal continued, "he grew up like you. And me. Only Dee didn't have a Ryo to take such good care of him when he was a kid."  
  
"He lived in an orphanage," Bikky frowned - he knew that much about Dee's past, but more than that was a mystery to him. It was easier to dislike someone when you knew nothing about them...  
  
"With other kids. He had to share any affection available... Meaning the reason he still gets mud on the carpet and misses the trash can when he throws stuff away's cause there was never anyone to show him different. You do it too, you know." Bikky opened his mouth to protest and Cal squeezed his hand gently. Sometimes she felt so old around him!  
  
"That isn't true," Bikky said at last. "Ryo would push me away if I was that obnoxious."  
  
"You're a kid, and believe it or not, you're a lot less assertive than Dee is - 'cause you're being civilized," Cal told him, then blinked. "Yanno who you remind me of?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Huck Finn."  
  
"*Who?*" Bikky stared at her as if she's sprouted a third eye.  
  
"You know, from the book by Mark Twain... 'Huckleberry Finn'. He's this kid, a real punk and a brat, who gets taken in by a nice old lady who tries to civilize him. That's only the first few chapters, I mean. I never finished it. The part about the river was pretty boring..." she admitted with a smirk. "Got a sixty three on the test."  
  
"Pinch me and see if I'm dreaming - *Cal* quoting books an' stuff! The world must be endin'," the blonde smirked, and Cal punched him in the shoulder with a scowl. They both relaxed a little though, as they shuffled along.  
  
"Yeah, so?"   
  
"So if I'm bein' civilized, then you are too."  
  
Cal shrugged - she had known that for a long time. "Maybe so. My point still stands, though."  
  
"What point?"  
  
"That you an' Dee are exactly alike."  
  
"Not true."  
  
"You're both loud and demanding, both want Ryo's attention, you and Dee both put up a tough front but underneath you're sweet..."  
  
Bikky frowned slightly and glanced down Cal's form, eyes lingering for a moment on her chest before meeting her eyes again. "Me, sweet? You hit your head or somethin'?"  
  
Cal cleared her throat. "Both awful perverts..."  
  
"Me?!"  
  
"Staring at me like that!"  
  
"There's nothin' ta stare at, anyway."   
  
Cal dropped his hand with a snort and hooked her hands against the base of her skull, frowning at Bikky before heaving a long suffering sigh. "You'd both do well to learn some manners..."  
  
"Tch! Like you can talk about manners!"  
  
"You both talk back-"  
  
"Do not!"  
  
"Talk back a *lot*... You're both street mutts," she teased, striding a bit of head and spinning until she was walking backwards, heels splashing in the streets. "You're both the opposite of Ryo in every way."  
  
"Well, I'm a lot straighter than Dee," Bikky grumbled, giving in slightly. It wasn't as if Cal was telling him anything he didn't already know, after all...  
  
"I should hope so," his quasi-girlfriend grinned. "They say birds of a feather flock together... so why can't you two get along?"  
  
Bikky opened his mouth and closed it against, sighing roughly against the wind. Cal guessed what was going on in his mind - after all, it wasn't hard to see through Bikky. He was afraid that Dee didn't like him, and if Dee didn't like him, how could Ryo keep him around? Bikky was just getting comfortable in his new environment, and it was natural that he was paranoid.  
  
**I feel like a freakin' psychologist,** Cal smirked at herself. "Dee likes ya. A lot, I think."  
  
He blinked and scowled, silent.  
  
"But you're so alike that both of you want Ryo's attention, and that's why ya don't get along. Look at it from his point of view, he really loves Ryo, and you seem to come between them. I doubt he'd ever kick ya out, of course, but Dee doesn't know how to react to competition like you, who he can't threaten or hurt..."  
  
"He just wants Ryo to be his wife, to cook and clean for him since he can't," Bikky scowled. "And Ryo's probably dense enough to do it. I mean, he's so naive..."  
  
"You underestimate him as much as Dee does!" Cal threw up her hands. "Ryo's a lovable guy - and that's why he's got people like us around, cause he needs people to take care of. That's just who he is. He'd be happy takin' care of Dee."  
  
"...How much'd he pay you to come argue his case, Cal?"  
  
"Thirty big ones."  
  
Bikky paused a moment, then glared at her. "WHAT?! You really sold out on me?!"  
  
"Got ya," Cal rolled her eyes and hooked Bikky's arm in hers, grin widening as her companion's expression grew frustrated and annoyed. She eased the blow of her teasing with a soft punch against his shoulder. Had others been around, Bikky wouldn't have let her get so close - but they were alone on the steaming street now, and that was good enough for both of them. They were too young to seek a relationship, but it was nice to be close and have someone to care about.... "So, ya really wanna go to school today?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Let's take the subway then."  
  
"Where to?"  
  
"Dunno," Cal flashed him a grin as she hung on his arm, "but I've got twenty bucks an' that's enough for lunch and a ticket... so let's go!"  
  
Bikky paused a moment. "It'll irritate Ryo if I skip school..." He trailed away and glanced at Cal again, weighing the decision. For a moment she thought he really would decline the offer, and then he flashed her a grin. "I really am that much like Dee?"  
  
Cal nodded and winked. "Of course, I never said it was a bad thing." Score one for her, she had guessed right - Bikky did like Dee, maybe even admired him. His voice as he asked about those similarities was almost...eager?  
  
"I guess I oughta keep it up, huh?" he smiled thinly. "If I've got someone to live up to."  
  
Cal ruffled his hair and Bikky ducked away and began running down the street ahead of her, his tuft of a ponytail bobbing behind him. After a moment of reflection she followed, boots splashing in the rain puddles on the muddy street.  
  
~~~~  
  
A car pulled away from the curb at the insistence of the honey-haired man in the passenger's seat. "Hey, Dee, was that Bikky over on that corner?" Ryo asked softly, peering out the foggy windows of Dee's car. "It looked like him...let's go see."  
  
Dee cleared his throat and laughed faintly, turning sharply to the left. "Nah, school's not even in that direction. That guy was way too tall to be Bikky," he told Ryo - the other didn't look convinced, but he didn't press the matter.  
  
"I can't believe he walked..."  
  
Dee shrugged, but as he glanced into his rear view mirror he made a mental note to call Bikky in sick as soon as he and Ryo reached the restaurant they were heading to. Who knew, maybe he could blackmail the kid into giving him some time alone, and then score...  
  
Something in the back of Dee's mind reminded him of the dozens of times he had skipped classes - it seemed utterly familiar to watch a rough-and-tumble street kid disappear amongst the alleys for a day with his friends. Bikky *was* a good kid, and no matter how long Ryo tried, he would never be able to keep the little blonde boy from the life he had once had...  
  
So maybe it would just be a favor, he smiled faintly, and pulled onto the highway. 


End file.
